Joseph Cianciotti wrote:
>
> charlie schellinck" <charlie@mars.ark.com> wrote
>
> >I have an roll bar for my 73 B roadster that came with car. Should I put it
> >back in? I have never heard of an MG rolling but you never know any
> >thoughts on this one? I know if I rolled my MG I would probaly want to die
> >anyhow!
>
I have definitely heard of (and experienced) an MG rolling!! On July
12, 1980, I was driving my '73 Midget down a winding mountain road
through a steep narrow canyon in the Black Hills area of South Dakota.
As I entered one sharp corner, not going all that fast, it suddenly
started raining extremely hard. Because of the narrowness of the canyon
I did not see the rain until I was half way around the corner and it hit
me (in fact I still had the top down!!). Unfortunately, the road had
just been repaved with new asphault and it was a hot day so there was
probably some residual oil on the road's surface. When the rain the hit
that fresh hot pavement it mixed with the oil and it felt just like I
had hit a sheet of glare ice. The car turned sideways and slid across
the oncoming lane. Luckily no cars were coming, so I didn't get hit,
but I then slid backwords down the 50 foot (17 meter) bank at the edge
of the road. As I went over the edge of the bank I distinctly remember
thinking that I was going to find out what death was like -- since there
was no way I was going to survive the crash (since I did not have a roll
bar in the car)! About two thirds of the way down the car hit some
rocks, turned sideways and started to roll. As the car turned over the
first time I hit my head on the large rocks that the car was rolling
over (since the top was down I could also see the rocks coming at me!).
The next thing that I remember, I was climbing back up the bank to the
road. Apparently I had passed out when I hit my head and been thrown
out of the car while it was upside down. The car ended up rolling two
and a half times. Luckily the windshield frame was much stronger than I
thought that it was and it kept the full weight of the car off of my
head. I was very lucky to end up with just four stitches on my head and
three on my back (from being thrown on to the rocks) and a bruise on
each leg (from hitting the steering wheel on the way out) -- I never
even had a headache!
When I bought my '71 B the next year, the first thing that I did was
install a roll bar. I agree that some of the roll bars out there really
detract from the lines of the 'B. The one that I have though fits in
with the lines well and really doesn't detract from the B's good looks.
I think if you shop around you can get one that looks good and that the
added safety is worth it. Since the wreck, I've gone around the same
corner, in the rain, faster than when I wrecked the car with know
problems -- sometimes all it takes to get in an accident is being in the
wrong place at the wrong time. But, on the other hand in the 16 years
that I've had the '71 MGB I haven't used the rollbar even once! :-)
Kevin Brown '71 MGB '74 MGBGT '74 TR6 '76 TR6 '65 Sprite
Odessa, MO 9 other assorted MGBs '89 MR2 '97 Z28
"Keeping the shiny side up and the rubber side down!"
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